Improvement in gas-governors



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY J. FERGUSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN GAS-GOVERNORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 160,409, dated March 2,1875; application filed October 16, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY J. FERGUSON, of the city and county of NewYork and State of New York, have invented certain Improveproducers.

The first part of my invention consists in a jacket or outer envelopelarger than the body of the governor, forming a concentric annular spaceor reservoir around said body, communicating with the interior of thegovernor, the two spaces or chambers being reciprocally occupied by asuitable fluid; the object of these related chambers and the containedfluid being to make them, by their inversed relation, as respects thepressure of gas upon the fluid within the cylindric chamber, to operatea tnbulated float-valve, also contained within the cylindric chamber andresting freely upon its contained fluid. By reason of the inverse levelof the fluid in the outer or concentric chamber when the surface of thefluid within the cylindric chamber is acted upon by the gas-pressure,the tubulated float-valve may be carried upward or downward by thevarying degrees of gas-pressure, and this reciprocal motion be made toopen or close a suitable orifice formed by the juxtaposition of theslitted edge of the lower extremity of the tubular part of thefloat-valve with the horizontal surface of mercury contained in arelatively stationary but adjustable vessel, and so affect the passageof gas, all of which parts and operations are hereinafter fully shownand described.

The second part of my invention consists in constructing said jacket orouter casing of a suitable height, and protecting the top of the same bya flange projecting outwardly from the cover of the main vessel, and inproviding suitable orifices at the bottom of the inner vessel or body ofthe governor, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

The third part of my invention. consists in a central float-tube,provided with a movable jacket of peculiar construction, combined with afloat-valve at the upper end of the tubular stem, the bottom of whichdips into a mercuryvessel made vertically adjustable.

The fourth part of my invention consists in so constructing the uppermercury-vessel as to be vertically adjustable within the central part orbody of the governor.

The fifth part of my invention consists in the peculiar construction ofthe lower mercuryvessel, in which the lower end of the tubularvalve-stem rests.

Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a vertical transverse skeleton section of theentire instrument and parts in situ. Fig. 2, Sheet 1, is a transverseperspective bottom view of the float-valve,

' looking upward. Fig. 3, Sheet 1, is a vertical 'transverse perspectivesection of the floatvalve. Fig. 4, Sheet 1, is a vertical transverseperspective section of the lower mercury-vessel. Fig. 5, Sheet 1, is atransverse perspective bottom view of the lower mercury-vessel. Fig. 6,Sheet 1, is a vertical transverse perspective section of the uppermercury-vessel. Fig. 7, Sheet 1, is a horizontal transverse perspectivesection of the upper mercury-vessel. Fig. 8, Sheet 1, is a Verticaltransverse perspective section of the bottom closer of the instrument.Fig. 9, Sheet 2, is a vertical transverse section of the governor; andFig. 10, Sheet 2, is a vertical perspective view of the carbureter; andthe two figures constitute a view of the two devices in combinedrelation.

On Sheet 1, A is a branch of connection leading from the meter to thegovernor, and is attached to the meter by the coupling 1)".

A is a branch of the connection leading from the governor and to theservice'pipes and burners. The passages of both branches are governed bythe four-way cock K. K also governs the passages of P and L. P is thepoint of connection with the service-pipe, and L conveys the enteringgas to the antechamber E of the governor, and to Where it is subjectedto the governing operation of the floatvalve U. B is the bottom ofthecylindric vessel 0. O is its detachable upper closer. It has a centralpassage in common with that of A and P. O is detachable for continuedmanipulation of valve U. A and O are connected by coup- 2 iGQlAOS'i lingp and thimble m. m confines p, and permits it suitable slack, for thepurpose of making connection or disconnection. D is the bot tom closerof the instrument. J is the jacket, and n is the space or chamberconcentrically formed between the jacket and body of the cylinder 0, andcommunicates with the chamber c by the passages 0 0. n is freely open atthe top with the atmosphere. The chambers c and 02 contain a definitequantity of a mixture of glycerine, water, and alcohol, and on which,within the chamber 0 and by its outer rim, the float-valve is made torest freely, and its outer rim only engaging the surface of the fluidmixture. It is thus made to inclose a volume of air equal to itself, asa cup would likewise situated, the inclosed air making the floatvalvesufficiently buoyant for the use intended for it.

It will be seen that when pressure accumulates within the chamber 0 thevalve U must move downward with the expulsive force of the pressure, andthe same force expels also at the same time the fluid mixture Within 0and beneath U, through the passages 0 0 into the chamber a, and thereaccumulates it to a height equivalent to the gas -pressure. As pressureis removed or relieved from within O- as, for instance, by lighting oneor more burnersthe inverse action upon U and the fluid contents of 0results, and consequently U now rises, and as it does so thegas-passage, slit 2', is made to elongate, enlarge, and therefore toadapt itself automatically to the fresh requirement. This force soresulting is quite sufficient for the operation of U, for it incurs nofriction as related to the mercury, but thus permits perfectly theimportant operation of the slit '5, the outer rim only of U resting onthe fluid mixture, its inner rim dipping into the mercury of the uppervessel to, and its lower tubular extremity dipping into the mercury ofthe lower vessel u,- but the preferably practicable relation of thelower end of the float-valve tubular extremity is merely to be incomplete contact by its edge with the surface of the mercury when thevalve is at its lowest point and under the greatest degree ofgas-pressure, and having but a small portion of slit i presented to thegas-chamber, so much only as would permit a supply of gas to one burner,or to two at most, the passage of supply to additional burners, however,arising by disengagement between the tubes edge and the surface of themercury, and would be proportionate to the recedence of the tubes edge;but I am not confined to the concentric chamber as a form or mode of thefluid counter-balance. I may use a simple cylindric counterpart of O, asshown by Yin Fig. 9, Sheet 2, the chambers thus arranged communicatingas before, but Y is made detachable. The object of the upper mercuryarrangement is to prevent the gas from getting under the float portionof the valve, and to confine it to its passage through the tubularportion 12, and to prevent also the fluid mixture from passing over intothe antechamber E and the object of the lower mercury arrangement is toafford a frictionless and a certain valvular action of b. The bore of I)is entirely open throughout, is slitted at i diametrically, and for agiven distance upward. When the instrument is in operation, and afurther demand is made for more gas, the entire valve is caused to rise,and consequently the dipping extremity of b correspondingly slips outfrom the mercury contained in to", thereby elongating the free space ofthe slit 1',

and therefore the gas-passage, to meet the fresh demand. The lowerextremity of I) has a short duplicate of itself, b, loosely incasing it,and operating with horizontal rotation, and for the purpose of moreclosely adjusting the initial passage. This relation and operation isfurther seen by reference to Fig. 3, and in b b may be seen a stillfurther modification of i. ib and the mercury of a have still anotheradjustment in the threaded seat of a": by taking hold of m and turning,u maybe moved upward or downward, as desired, and thus made to effectthe gas-passage also.

a of a, Fig. 4, is an annular space occupied by the mercury. t is aguide to I), and serves also to economize the quantity of mercury. 61 isa dish-like expansion of a to receive the overflow of mercury as 1)passes down into it. The upper mercury-vessel u is tapped centrally intoB at 6, its concentric space 01 containing the mercury and its bore 1),Fig. 7, giving passage to b of the valve. to will be further understoodby referring to Figs. 2 and 3. In Fig. 2 is a bottom transverse View,and in Fig. 3 a vertical transverse section. The upper mercury-cup ismade, as shown and described, for purposes of facility and economy ofmanufacture, and also to be enabled to use a material not having anyafiinity for mercury, as iron or ebonite, 850.; and, furthermore, to beenabled to make the body portion of the instrument of any cheap, butsuitable, material. These reasons apply also to the lower mercury-cup,andwith the additional one, that of its threaded and necessarilyadjustable seat with reference to its relation with the float-valvetubular extremity. j is projecting extension of the flange of the uppercloser, related and in combination, for the purpose of preventing dustand like particles from falling into the free annular space a, but issufficiently above contact with the upper edge of J to allow freeingress and egress of air to n. m and m are thimbles, related and incombination, for purposes of facility and economy in the manufacture ofthe instrument, and also for the better convenience for its adjustmentor detachment. sis a swivel and washer, related and in combination, forthe purpose of enabling the instrument to be swung around to a rightangle, and away from its closer and connection when it is needful toexamine or adjust its internal parts. j is the threaded flange of thelower mercury-vessel u, which, in combination with the thumb-extension mu and its mercury surface is enabled to be brought into adjustedrelation with the lower edge of tube 7). e is the threaded neck of thevessel 10', and is so constructed for reasons similar to those for e inthe vessel a. X is an index, communicating with concentric chamber a at0, and records the degree of pressure at which the instrument is servingthe gas.

In cases where an increased gravity of gas is needful, and for thebetter distributive effect of the governor, connection is made with myimproved hydrocarbon-difi'user, as shown at m and 19, Figs. 9 and 10,Sheet 2, and P, Fig. 10, is made to join the meter. The gas therefore onleaving the meter first travels spirally through the difi'user, and thenenters the governorcharged with the hydrocarbon vapor, is therebyincreased in gravity, and advances to each burner with an equal pressureirrespective of altitude, or whether burners are lighted in differentsections of altitude.

I make no claim, broadly, for a gas-governor, nor for the object of one,nor for the connections taken separately; but

I claim as my invention 1. In a gas-governor, the jacket J, formingexternal of the body of chamber 0 the annular space a, substantially asherein shown and set forth.

2. Jacket J, forming space a, in combination with flange j, orifices 00, and chamber 0, substantially as shown and set forth.

3. The central float-tube b and movable jacketed counterpart b, incombination with floatvalve U, slits i and i, and the adjustablemercury-vessel a", substantially as herein shown and set forth.v

4. The threaded neck 0 of the mercury-vessel u, in combination with thebottom of chamber O, substantially as herein shown and set forth.

5. The threaded neck 6, threaded flange j, and thumb-piece m of themercury-vessel a, in combination, substantially as herein shown and setforth.

HENRY J. FERGUSON.

Witnesses:

MARTHA J. HOUGHTON, THOMAS HOUGHTON.

